With grocery prices climbing ever higher, it can be hard to keep your cash in your wallet and still eat healthy. That's why I love ingredients that can serve more than one purpose. Little roaster chickens are a great example of this. You can get them at the grocery store raw for about 10-15 dollars depending on the size. Roast one for dinner as your first meal. I find the best way to get all the flavor into your bird is to make a paste with all of your spices and a little olive oil and then spread it UNDER the skin. It's a little gross, but it traps the flavor in. Then season and stuff as you normally would. You can always peel the skin off after cooking to reduce the fat when you eat it.

The second meal would be using the left over chicken as a lunch meat replacement. More and more research is coming out that processed meats are bad for our health, so substituting in your left over chicken is a smart move. I love mixing a little yogurt and low fat mayo together with Indian spices (like coriander, cinnamon and cumin) and a couple of raisins and shredded carrot for a unique twist on the chicken salad sandwich.

Finally, don't waste those bones! Throw them into a crock pot with water, bay leaf, parsley, oregano, celery, carrot, onion and garlic and set on high for 4 hours. You'll have a great chicken stock you can use in any number of recipes or for making your own homemade soup. Let simmer on low for a day for even more flavor! Get creative adding you other favorite spices to your stock like coriander, cumin or marjoram.

When life gives you lemons....make lemonade.When life makes you chickens...feed yourself for at least three meals.Bon Appetite.

Leave a Reply.

Author

Kate ParkRD, CDE, PTS, MAN, BAScKate is a Registered Dietitian and self proclaimed foodie who studied her Master of Applied Nutrition at the University of Guelph. Currently she practices at a Family Health Team in Southern Ontario. Her greatest passion in life is food, so she spends her spare time teaching cooking classes and nutrition courses all over Ontario.